Morning Papers' - continued.

Haaretz

Pullout foes block key highways across country
Anti-disengagement activists Monday blocked several central highways and intersections across the country as thousands of police struggled to head off threatened efforts to bring traffic to a standstill.
Right-wing activists set tires ablaze at the entrance to Jerusalem during the morning rush hour, at the Latrun intersection on the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway and at the entrance to Holon several hours later. Police quickly cleared the burning tires from all locations.

http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/576262.html

High Court removes temporary injunction on separation fence
By Yuval Yoaz, Haaretz Correspondent
The High Court of Justice rescinded Monday the temporary injunctions imposed on separation fence construction works near West Bank settlements of Ariel and Immanuel.
The Israeli Defense Forces were allowed by the court to resume construction works until the court's next session on the petitions against the construction of the fence in the area.

http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/576709.html

IDF chief: Hamas building up popular army against PA
By Gideon Alon, Haaretz Correspondent
Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Moshe Ya'alon said Monday that the "Hamas is building up an armed popular army against the Palestinian Authority."
"Its arming and gain of strength are rapid," Ya'alon told the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee at a special farewell session held for him.
Ya'alon said that "this is the conclusion of a long period of [military] service and the conclusion of over 10 years of appearing before the committee since I was military intelligence chief."

http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/576669.html

Hamas men elected in PA vote holding ongoing talks with IDF
By Haaretz Service
Prominent Hamas officials recently elected in Palestinian Authority municipal council elections are holding regular contacts with IDF liaison and coordination officers, a senior military official told Israel Radio Monday, comparing formal bans on talks with Hamas with past curbs on talks with the PLO.
Israel views Hamas as a terrorist organization, and publicly shuns all contact with it. Hamas, for its part, remains sworn to the eradication of the Jewish state by means of violence.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/576588.html

Four Israelis hurt in Gaza rocket attack; IDF wounds two Palestinians
By Amos Harel and Gideon Alon, Haaretz Correspondents and News Agencies
Four Israelis were slightly injured by an anti-tank rocket near Rafah in the Gaza Strip on Sunday.
In violence late Sunday, Israel Defense Forces soldiers shot and wounded two Palestinians near Ramallah. The military said they were throwing firebombs at an Israeli vehicle.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/576322.html

Israel lets PA deploy armed police in West Bank cities
By Amos Harel and Arnon Regular, Haaretz Correspondents
Israel has given its approval for the deployment of hundreds of armed Palestinian Authority police in all West Bank cities to crack down on crime. According to senior Israeli defense officials, the move is intended to strengthen the PA ahead of the transfer of additional cities to Palestinian control.
So far, Jericho and Tul Karm have been transferred to Palestinian control, with Israel conditioning the transfer of additional cities on the monitoring of wanted men and the confiscation of weapons.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/576110.html

IDF attacks Hezbollah posts after Har Dov shelling
By Amos Harel, Aluf Benn and Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondents
The security situation on the Lebanese border heated up on Friday, as Israel Defense Forces planes, gunships and tanks destroyed Hezbollah posts in Lebanon, in response to Hezbollah shelling of IDF positions.
No IDF soldiers were wounded during the fighting. The number of Hezbollah casualties is unknown.
The border has been quiet since the IDF activity ended on Friday night. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said over the weekend, "We shall not open a northern front and have no interest in escalation there."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/575761.html

The dead who walk among us
By Gideon Levy
The days of commemoration are over. After honoring the memory of our dead who perished in the Holocaust and those killed in Israel's wars, the time has come to think about the next victims. They are walking among us. The fate of the next round's victims is almost sealed. This will be the last summer for the woman with the shopping bags who boards the bus that explodes, for the soldier at the bus stop, for the teenage girl at the mall, for the grandfather traveling to visit his grandchildren and for the foreign worker at the central bus station.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/576301.html

Hezbollah, IDF exchange fire near Mount Dov
By Eli Ashkenazi, Haaretz Correspondent, and Haaretz Service
Hezbollah gunners in Lebanon fired a barrage of at least nine mortar shells or Katyusha rockets Friday afternoon at an Israel Defense Forces outpost along the border in the Shaba Farms region. The incident was the third attack in the region in less than 48 hours.
There were no Israeli casualties.
The IDF responded by firing artillery shells at a Hezbollah position in southern Lebanon, and fighter jets bombed three Hezbollah outposts in southern Lebanon.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/575761.html

FM: Iran may have nuclear know-how in less than nine months
By Haaretz Service and News Agencies
Iran may develop the know-how to make nuclear weapons in six to nine months, Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said on Friday. He called on the United Nations to impose sanctions on Iran.
"Iran poses an existential threat, and that's why I think that the entire world understands that it's impossible to give such an extremist regime the possibility of having a nuclear bomb that can essentially threaten the integrity of the world," Shalom said Friday in an interview with Israel Radio.
The day before, Shalom warned that Tehran was close to knowing how to make nuclear weapons.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/575337.html

Most Palestinians support Gaza pullout, according to poll
By The Associated Press
A majority of Palestinians believe that Israel's plan to unilaterally withdraw from the Gaza Strip and four northern West Bank settlements this summer is a positive step for peace, according to a poll released Friday.
Palestinian officials have criticized the disengagement plan, saying Israel has refused to coordinate the pullout with them and demanding that it be incorporated into the internationally backed road map peace plan, which envisions the creation of a Palestinian state by the end of the year.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/575833.html

Thousands mark last Independence Day in Gush Katif
By Nir Hasson
Tens of thousands of people spent Independence Day in Gush Katif, to show solidarity with the residents and protest the disengagement plan.
According to organizers, some 65,000 supporters made the trip to the Gaza settlement bloc yesterday. But police said the true figure was closer to 45,000

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/575431.html

60,000 pour into Gush Katif to celebrate Independence Day
By Haaretz Service and Agencies
Israelis celebrated the state's 57th year of independence Thursday, flocking to parks and beaches as ceremonies marked the day more formally.
Some 60,000 people came to Gush Katif on Thursday to celebrate Independence Day and to rally against the disengagement plan.
Central arteries through the Gaza Strip were shut down to vehicular traffic and buses shuttled visitors from the Kissufim crossing to the central events in Gush Katif.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/574905.html


I always loved horses as a kid

Nation's Law Makers Hear about Horses at Risk; Events at Capitol Intended to Save Wild Horses from Slaughter
3/7/2005 7:00:00 AM
To: Assignment Desk, Daybook Editor
Contact: Trina Bellak, Esq., 866-983-3456
News Advisory:
-- Events at Nation's Capitol Intended to Save 8,000-plus Wild Horses from Slaughter and to Help Pass Bills to End All Horse Slaughter in the United States

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=43922

Horses banned for Gaines Twp. family
Resident alleges double-standard

(ABC12 Image)
By Randy Conat
Gaines Twp. — (03/07/05)-- A mid-Michigan man is angry after his request to keep horses on his property was denied.
He says his daughters are heart broken because of politics.
Morgan Hallmark want their horses and can't understand why they can't have them. "They've been like the best horses ever," Morgan said.

http://abclocal.go.com/wjrt/news/030705_NW_r2_gaines_horses.html

PEDERSEN HANDED 60 DAY SUSPENSION
Posted by Jeremy Rangiawha 08:07 AM 08-Mar-2005 NZST
Jennifer Pedersen, the New York-based trainer who conditions horses primarily for Ernie Paragallo’s Paraneck Stable, received a 60-day suspension from the New York State Racing and Wagering Board on Friday (March 4).
Pedersen was allegedly found in possession of what a board official called “injectibles.”
Pederson will continue to train pending an appeal of the charge.
The board cited Pedersen for violating a board rule that addresses the possession of hypodermic equipment and controlled substances.
Board officials could not speak directly to evidence related to the case because of Pederson’s appeal, but board spokesperson Stacy Clifford said that officials found Pedersen "to be in possession of injectibles … at Aqueduct on March 3."

http://www.harnesslink.com/www/Article.cgi?ID=22521

Racing: Aussie - it doesn't look good
08.03.05
by Michael Guerin

The man responsible for flying the Australian flag at the Interdominions tonight says it may not soar very high.
Victorian horseman Lance Justice will partner millionaire pacer Sokyola, and the pair are the only Australians favoured to break the local stranglehold on the series.
Sokyola was the only Australian heat winner on the first night of the $1.7 million Alexandra Park carnival and looks like the raiders' best chance of defending the Interdom title.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=4&ObjectID=10114088

The following two are dated by interesting.

Students research, raise horses for coming auction
By Michael Robot
Published: 3/7/2005

A group of Cook College students will auction off a set of horses they have raised and researched since September, in an expanded program at the Equine Science Center that may raise thousands of dollars.
Over 30 students in the North American Equine Ranching Information Council's Young Horse Teaching and Research Program have been involved in studies with 12 yearlings that will culminate in the sixth annual benefit auction on May 1 at the Round House on Cook campus.
The auction marks the end of months of studies and training by the students in the NAERIC program under the direction of Sarah Ralston, associate director who teaches at the Equine Science Center.

http://www.dailytargum.com/media/paper168/news/2005/03/07/PageOne/Students.Research.Raise.Horses.For.Coming.Auction-887173.shtml

Friesian Horses for Sale: Friesian Horses ‘Interviewed' Before they are Offered for Sale
(PRLEAP.COM) SOLVANG, CA March 7, 2005 — When it comes to the purchase of a Friesian horse, the last thing a buyer wants to encounter is disappointment - disappointment that the horse is not as well trained as was promised or, worse yet, the disappointment that comes from the discovery that a horse is unmanageable. This is why Pieter Franken, the owner of Dutch Horsefriend in Solvang, California, flys to the Netherlands to personally "interview" each and every prospective addition to the stock of Friesian horses he sells to casual riders and show horse competitors.

http://www.prleap.com/pr/5077/

Farriers give horses comfortable feet for Red Hills competition
Rusty Jenkins had a hunch that something was wrong with Grace, a 1-year-old horse he's been shoeing since birth.
An X-ray confirmed it - the horse has a bulge on her left foot that throws off her balance.
"It might be a difficulty," Jenkins said, holding his right hand against his jaw, as he walked from viewing the X-ray at the veterinarian's office. "Maybe."

http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/democrat/news/breaking_news/11092076.htm

Zobel can reclaim confiscated horses, judge rules
Associated Press
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - A man may reclaim 110 of the starving horses seized from his ranch near Republic after a judge ruled Tuesday that their owner wasn't intentionally abusing the animals.
Greene County Circuit Judge Don Burrell ruled William Zobel must post a $65,000 bond to regain his horses, and a veterinarian with the Missouri Department of Agriculture will supervise their care. If Zobel fails to properly tend to the horses, Burrell authorized the animals to be sold or adopted.

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/11084878.htm

'These were my babies': Horse owners devastated by killer fire
MICHAEL RUBINKAM
Associated Press
TANNERSVILLE, Pa. - Connie Carbonara and her horse, Mighty Ben Hur, spent 24 years together, and the bond they shared was obvious.
He'd follow her around the pasture like a puppy dog and bang his hoof against the concrete barn floor if she wasn't paying enough attention to him. She was a faithful visitor, spending hours a day, every day with the lame Appaloosa known simply as Ben.

http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/politics/11092679.htm

The illustration is a bit racist.

Stewart rides wave of success, not horses
By Stefan Schumacher
Published: Wednesday, March 9, 2005
Media Credit: Wendy Gorton Daily Trojan
Why can't she ride her horse? Why can't she ride her horses?"
This is what Larry King, in total seriousness, was demanding to know of one of his panelists last week, when discussing the return of Martha Stewart. King's interrogation about Stewart's equestrian freedom was just a small part of the media blitz that took place upon her release from prison.

http://www.dailytrojan.com/media/paper679/news/2005/03/09/Opinions/Stewart.Rides.Wave.Of.Success.Not.Horses-889335.shtml

Fighting for Wild Horses
by Gloria Hillard
Wild Mustang mares roam the Return to Freedom Wild Horse Sanctuary in Central California. Return to Freedom Wild Horse Sanctuary © 2005

Morning Edition, March 10, 2005 · Tucked into the omnibus-spending bill passed in December was the repeal of a 34-year-old law that prohibited the slaughter of wild horses, including mustangs. Now, horse lovers are incensed, and the dispute divides cattlemen and wild horse advocates.
Related NPR Stories

Phttp://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4529319

Horse Clone Lifts Hopes for Saving Rare Breeds
NPR.org, August 6, 2003 · Italian scientists announce the birth of the world's first cloned horse. The announcement gives hope to conservationists who think cloning technology may someday help save critically endangered relatives of the horse, such as the Somali Wild Ass and Koulan. Hear NPR's Joe Palca and NPR's John Nielsen.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1387488

Labrador sleigh horses slay 2 cars
Last Updated Fri, 11 Mar 2005 08:54:06 EST
CBC News
HAPPY VALLEY-GOOSE BAY, NFLD. - A tourism pitch went very wrong in Labrador this week when Belgian horses pulling a sleigh ran amok, demolishing two cars.
The horses, a brother and sister team named Rusty and Becky, belong to Happy Valley-Goose Bay farmer Tom Angiers.

Pasted from <http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2005/03/10/labrador-horses050310.html

Lake Louisa Park's Obstacle Course Tests Riders, Horses
Run by volunteers, the event raised more than $1,700 for the state recreational area.
By LORETTA LYNN
Reporter Correspondent
SOUTH LAKE COUNTY -The sun was barely breaking the trees and morning dew was sprinkled across the grass and clay paths when horses and riders ambled into the knoll area at Lake Louisa State Park for the second annual Obstacle Trail Challenge.

http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050310/REPORTER/503100330/1021

Rowan officials save hungry horses
3/9/2005 10:09 PM
By: Jason Bronis, News 14 Carolina
Horses in Need
It is possible that the horses' owner could face criminal charges.
SALISBURY, N.C. -- Animal Control officers in Rowan County seized five horses Tuesday that they said were starving to death.
“They were in very poor condition, emaciated,” Animal Control Supervisor Clai Martin said. “Obviously they hadn’t had proper feed, proper hay and proper vet care.”
The horses lived at a farm on Highway 152 near Rockwell. Ten others at the farm were also found to be suffering from malnutrition. One of them, an 8-month-old colt, died Tuesday night.

http://www.news14charlotte.com/content/local_news/?AC=&ArID=88570&SecID=2

Horses, growth of town clash
Controversy is escalating over new rules for animals
By Connie Paige, Globe Correspondent March 10, 2005
Sharon Kelly considers Cody and Winchester among her best friends.
ADVERTISEMENT

Connie Schwarzkopf considers Cody, Winchester, and others like them possible public-health menaces.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2005/03/10/horses_growth_of_town_clash/

Mullins denies calling horse players 'idiots'
UNION-TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICES
March 10, 2005
Horse racing's commissioner reacted yesterday to remarks made by trainer Jeff Mullins, who reportedly ridiculed fans for betting.
D.G. Van Clief, commissioner of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, told The Associated Press that Mullins' comments "are inexcusable."

http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/20050310-9999-1s10briefs.html

Pimlico
$200,000 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes
5/20
Pimlico
$500,000 Pimlico Special Handicap
5/20
Belmont Park
$200,000 Shuvee Handicap
5/21
Churchill Downs
$100,000 Open Mind Stakes
5/21
Hollywood Park
$150,000 Lazaro Barrera Memorial Stakes
5/21
Pimlico
$1,000,000 Preakness Stakes
5/21
Pimlico
$200,000 Dixie Stakes
5/21
Pimlico
$100,000 Maryland Breeders' Cup Hcp
5/21
Belmont Park
$150,000 Sheepshead Bay Handicap
5/22

http://www.youbet.com/

French horses chomping at the bit
By Peter Nicholls
Published: March 11 2005 20:43 Last updated: March 11 2005 20:43

Azertyuiop is not much of a name for a horse. It breaks the first rule of naming, having no connection with the horse’s breeding – Azertyuiop being by Baby Turk and a mare named Temara – and the second rule in not even being a meaningful word. However, there is some information to be gleaned, for Azertyuiop is named after the top row of letters on a French computer keyboard.
Azertyuiop, then, is French and at next week’s Cheltenham Festival is anti-post favourite, along with Moscow Flyer, for Wednesday’s Queen Mother Champion Chase, the race predicted to be the highlight of the world’s most prestigious jump meet. Now trained by Paul Nicholls in Somerset, Azertyuiop will be the best French import on show at Cheltenham, but he will not be the only one, for French imports are all the rage in Britain at present. Indeed, there will be more than 100 are likely to come under starters orders during the four-day festival, a reflection of the fact that the French are supplanting the role that Irish breeders traditionally held in British jump racing.

http://news.ft.com/cms/s/dbe874fc-925c-11d9-bca5-00000e2511c8.html

American Horse Defense Fund: Senate Says, ‘Horses -— What's Not For Dinner’
3/11/2005 8:41:00 AM
To: National Desk
Contact: Trina Bellak of the American Horse Defense Fund, 866-983-3456
WASHINGTON, March 11 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The American Horse Defense Fund (AHDF), the nation's premier horse protection, education and advocacy organization today declared the National Capitol Hill Week For Horses a success. The highlight of the week during which people from across the country came to weigh in with their representatives in the House and Senate, was the introduction of a bill to the Senate by Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.). The bill, S. 576, is a companion bill to one introduced recently by Rep. Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.) and Ed Whitfileld (R-Ky.), H. R. 297. Both bills would reinstate the 34-year-old protection from slaughter for wild horses that was destroyed by a rider Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.) had attached to a ‘must pass’ appropriations bill late last year. Under the Burns rider, all captured wild horses over the age of 10 or those offered but not adopted after three attempts must be sold ‘without limitation’, auctions and slaughter included.

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=44202

Stewards will discuss remarks with Mullins
By Steve Andersen
Daily Racing Form
ARCADIA, Calif. - Members of the Santa Anita board of stewards said Thursday that they would speak to trainer Jeff Mullins regarding controversial remarks attributed to him in a newspaper article last weekend and that one of Mullins's clients would be sanctioned for a heckling incident related to the comments.
A column in Sunday's Los Angeles Times quoted Mullins as saying that anyone who bets on horses is "an addict or an idiot" and that "if you bet on horses, I would call you an idiot." Mullins said that his comments were taken out of context and that they were directed only to T.J. Simers, who wrote the column, and not to bettors in general.

http://espn.go.com/horse/news/2005/0311/2010457.html

AT THE RACES LAUNCHES DATABASE
At The Races has launched a free five-year form database on its website.
Visitors to attheraces.com can access form via the racecards or by using a search facility. From there they can call up information, statistics and results relating to horses, jockeys, trainers and owners.

http://www.sportinglife.com/racing/news/story_get.dor?STORY_NAME=racing/05/03/11/RACING_At_The_Races.html

Racing: Herlihy looking forward to the finish line
At 45, Tony Herlihy has been driving horses for 27 years, and working with them even longer. Picture / Martin Sykes
11.03.05

by Tony Herlihy

Tony Herlihy, just so you know, it was in 1985 that you were world harness-racing champion. Also, you've won the New Zealand harness-racing championship seven times.
I'm telling Herlihy these things because he couldn't tell me.
Almost apologetically, he said: "Oh, I should know, but I don't. It'll be in the records somewhere."

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=4&ObjectID=10114831

JULICH CHASING ELUSIVE MEADOWLANDS WIN
Posted by Jeremy Rangiawha 09:30 AM 12-Mar-2005 NZST
Life has been good for retiree Richard Julich, who has owned racehorses on and off since 1967 but a trip to the Meadowlands' winner's circle is one thing that has eluded him.
The 76-Year-Old retiree will attempt to change that with a 5-Year-Old gelding named Nvincbl Artist who makes his next start Saturday night (March 12) in the first of two $25,000 divisions of round one of the Four Leaf Clover Series at the Meadowlands.
"We've been right there with this horse," said Julich from his Florida winter home that he shares with his wife, Dale.

http://www.harnesslink.com/www/Article.cgi?ID=22709

China parks will curb throwing horses to lions
Safari parks in China have agreed to stop feeding their lions and tigers large live animals such as horses – at least in public.
The gory eating habits could lead visitors to believe that animals, both hunter and prey, were only human playthings, Xinhua news agency on Wednesday quoted Xie Youxin, the deputy general manager of the Wild Animal World in Chengdu, as saying. “The bloody scene could also have implanted violent tendencies in youngsters,” he said. Chengdu is the capital of southwestern Sichuan province.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_17-3-2005_pg9_2

More horses removed from Adams County farm
Wednesday, March 16, 2005

By Rodney Hart
Herald-Whig Staff Writer
CAMP POINT, Ill. — Horse farmer Lawrence "Bud" Wietholder could face criminal charges after authorities removed 19 horses from his 900-acre Adams County farm Tuesday.
Wietholder, who has a history of violations in connection with the treatment of animals, tried to block the road leading to his farm so volunteers from the Rock Island area couldn't bring their trailers to load impounded horses.

http://www.whig.com/315740863536219.php

2 horses die of anthrax in Mongolia
http://www.chinaview.cn/ 2005-03-16 20:39:25
ULAN BATOR, March 16 (Xinhuanet) -- Two horses in Mongolia's Dornod province died Monday from anthrax, the Mongolian General Authority for Emergency Management (GAEM) said here Wednesday.
Authorities in the province have enforced martial law in the Halhgol County where the deaths occured and have begun an operation to disinfect the livestock in the district, a GAEM spokeswoman said.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-03/16/content_2706630.htm

DATED

2 horses die of anthrax in Mongolia
http://www.chinaview.cn/ 2005-03-16 20:39:25
ULAN BATOR, March 16 (Xinhuanet) -- Two horses in Mongolia's Dornod province died Monday from anthrax, the Mongolian General Authority for Emergency Management (GAEM) said here Wednesday.
Authorities in the province have enforced martial law in the Halhgol County where the deaths occured and have begun an operation to disinfect the livestock in the district, a GAEM spokeswoman said.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-03/16/content_2706630.htm

Over Three Dozen Horses Quarantined At Training Center
March 15, 2005, 05:24 PM
By David McArthur
(LOUISVILLE) -- With only two months until the start of the spring meet at Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby, a rarely found disease in Kentucky has infected a horse here. Now 43 thoroughbreds training at the Trackside facility on Poplar Level road have been quarantined and tested for the bacterial disease that can kill horses. WAVE 3's David McArthur reports.

http://www.wave3.com/Global/story.asp?S=3080613

Horses run wild after NY stagecoach crash
By Larry McShane, Associated Press Writer May 13, 2005
NEW YORK -- The wild West Side of Manhattan became Dodge City for a pair of horses turned loose in traffic Friday when a truck collided with a 120-year-old stagecoach, sending the runaway equines on an unscheduled jaunt across town.

http://www.boston.com/news/odd/articles/2005/05/13/horses_run_wild_after_ny_stagecoach_crash/

MONMOUTH PARK OPENING DAY 2005
Trainer Lukas to have stable of horses for meet
Four-time Eclipse Award winner puts Nicholl in charge of stable
Published in the Asbury Park Press 05/14/05
Today's 60th opening of the Monmouth Park season boasts the highest purses in history and bettors should see larger fields and more competitive racing. They will also see some new big-name stables on a regular basis.
The lure of $325,000 per day has attracted four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer D. Wayne Lukas, back at Monmouth Park for the first time since 2000. Lukas trains a string at Churchill Downs in Kentucky, which moves to Saratoga for the summer and California for the winter; Peter Hutton handles Lukas' Belmont Park-based horses; and now 36-year-old Sebastian Nicholl will be overseeing Lukas' string at Monmouth Park.

http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050514/SPORTS/505140441/1002

HORSES GO BUGGY ON 14TH STREET
By JENNIFER FERMINO
May 14, 2005 -- In New York's first stagecoach accident of the century, two horses led authorities on a wild and woolly chase yesterday, as they broke loose and charged pell-mell along 14th Street.
Hero and Princess sent pedestrians scurrying for their lives as the half-ton Percheron ponies bolted with nostrils flaring for several blocks.
The wild incident unfolded around 10 a.m. when the stagecoach the horses were pulling — in a publicity stunt for country singer Shania Twain's new perfume — was rear-ended by a van between Eighth and Ninth avenues.

http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/46497.htm

DOPING PERIL FOR JP'S HORSES
By Stewart Maclean
FURIOUS fans last night threatened revenge on "traitor" shareholder John Magnier by doping his racehorses.
Militant supporters' group the Manchester Education Committee made the threat after he sold his 28 per cent stake to American tycoon Malcolm Glazer for £220million on Thursday.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=15516172&method=full&siteid=94762&headline=the-man-united-takeover--doping-peril-for-jp-s-horses-name_page.html

Officials seize horses near Montalba
5-13-05
BY PAUL STONE
H-P Associate Editor
Four horses and a donkey allegedly lacking proper food and care were seized Thursday morning by representatives of the Anderson County Sheriff's Office.
The animals were seized from outside a residence at 419 CR 412, just east of Montalba, after authorities received a complaint that the animals were not receiving adequate care, Anderson County Sheriff Greg Taylor said Thursday morning.

http://www.palestineherald.com/articles/2005/05/13/news/news01.txt

East Valley Life

LOTS OF LOVING: After completing a lesson, Gary Woods rewards his horse, Emma Jet, with a kiss. Woods’ teaching method reflects his love and respect for horses.
Toru Kawana Tribune
Texas-born trainer abandons macho approach to horses for a gentler way
By Marija Potkonjak, Tribune
May 14, 2005
Gary Woods helps horses with people problems.
Woods is a horse communicator who has spent the past two years healing horses traumatized by the cruelty and ignorance of humans.

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=41347

Cloud covers track
New EvD suffers more tragedies
Michael Krieg
mkrieg@theadvertiser.com

John Rowland/jrowland@theadvertiser.com
Tractors, not horses, were the only things close to the track at the New Evangeline Downs, as seen in this aerial photograph taken on Friday - one day after two horses were euthanized and the rest of the weekend card was cancelled. The track is scheduled to reopen for business on Thursday.
ADVERTISEMENT

OPELOUSAS - Questions about the track conditions at Evangeline Downs resurfaced again Thursday when jockeys refused to finish the race card.
The situation became more controversial Friday morning when EvD decided to temporarily cancel racing through May 18.
Track general manager Mike Howard didn't return calls seeking comment, but he did issue a statement in a press release saying the track is looking into the jockeys' complaints.

http://www.theadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050514/SPORTS/505140346/1006

Two Delaware Horses Finish Near the Front at the Derby
WILMINGTON- Delaware was well represented at Saturday evening's Kentucky Derby.
Three hometown favorites, Afleet Alex, Bellamy Road, and High Limit, were all from Delaware Park. Afleet managed to pull in a third place finish. Bellamy Road crossed the line at seventh. High Limit did not fare so well, ending the day in last place.

http://www.wboc.com/Global/story.asp?S=3314167&nav=MXEaZbvF

Abused Milan horses are finding homes
By Deirdre Cox Baker
.
Horses rescued this spring from a west-central Illinois farm are being adopted out, and a special training program was held Sunday for potential new owners.
.
“These are not tame horses,” said Deb Schone of Schone’s Friendship Farm in Milan, Ill. “They may look docile, but when you try to do something with them they are not.”

Pasted from <http://www.qctimes.com/internal.php?story_id=1050736&t=Local+News&c=2,1050736>

Escorts help keep riders, horses calm before races

Pony rider Monie Graves escorted Grand Reward -- with jockey Jerry Bailey up -- to the starting gate in the fifth race yesterday. Like the horses Graves has escorted in past Derbies, Grand Reward finished out of the money. (BY KEITH WILLIAMS, THE COURIER-JOURNAL)
RELATED STORIES

jriley@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal
Monie Graves, one of the "pony people" at Churchill Downs since 1985, is one of the last to talk to a jockey and his horse before the Kentucky Derby.
It is Graves' job to ride a horse alongside the mounted jockey and to help warm up the racehorse on the way to the starting gate, making sure both the contender and rider stay calm and ready.
Asked how many Derby winners she had escorted since 1985, Graves shook her head and smiled.

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050508/SPORTS08/505080380/1002

WHAT HAPPENED TO ... GRAHAM McCOURT?
Graham McCourt had a successful career in the saddle and will always be remembered for springing the biggest surprise in Gold Cup history aboard 100-1 shot Norton's Coin in 1990.
Racing fans could no doubt recall him taking the Champion Hurdle aboard Royal Gait, too, but he was last heard of calling time on his tenure as a trainer back in 2002.
It will come as no shock to find that the 35-year-old is still very much involved in racing, this time in the role of assistant trainer at the Cotswold yard of David Wintle.

http://www.sportinglife.com/racing/news/story_get.dor?STORY_NAME=racing/05/05/09/RACING_Happened_McCourt.html

WEATHER PROMPTS YORK SWITCH
Heavy rain over the weekend has forced York to alter the starting positions for three races at this week's May Festival.
The races were originally scheduled to be run over a mile using the round course and have been switched to the shorter distance of seven furlongs using the straight course and appropriate spur.

http://www.sportinglife.com/racing/news/story_get.dor?STORY_NAME=racing/05/05/09/RACING_York.html

Spooked horses spark concern

By Mica Thomas Mulloy, Independent Newspapers
Kim Foster walked through her Desert Hills property with an orange sunset behind her and two horses in a corral to her side.
As the sky faded to a deep purple, she told the story of an event six weeks ago that left her devastated.

http://www.newszap.com/articles/2005/05/09/az/north_valley/anth04.txt

Family tradition of breeding horses continues
PUBLISHED: May 9, 2005
By Gina Joseph
Macomb Daily Staff Writer
Spring is a busy time on the farm, especially when six mares are ready to foal.
Advertisement

"This one was born two days ago," said Jack Faulk, pointing to a wobbly-legged foal nudging its nose against its mother's side. "She looks like she's going to be a pretty nice filly."

http://www.macombdaily.com/stories/050905/loc_horses001.shtml

Giacomo proves Derby is where dreams can soar
50-1 shot winning? Now that's an upset
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - One of those beautiful dawn's-coming moments long ago on the backside at Churchill Downs, great old thoroughbred trainer Charlie Whittingham explained why he kept at it. "No horseman," he said, "ever committed suicide with a good 2-year-old in the barn."

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7791999/

Luisa depends on horses
A YOUNG girl is depending on her passion for horses to assist her family cope with the difficult times they might encounter in the future.
And even though 14-year-old Luisa Tuisasa of Navau in Ba has never attended school, she believes her determination to help and commitment towards her horses would be enough to see that her family's basic needs are met.

http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=21070


THE DECISION STREAM

The Cheney Observer Revisited

Bush shows caution about plunging into Mideast peacemaking - Oh, really? - That's okay, Mubarak and Sharon are doing just fine !!

BARRY SCHWEID, AP Diplomatic Writer

President Bush called for realism and took the long view Monday on Mideast peacemaking and development of democracy among Palestinians.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/12/20/national1452EST0601.DTL

Bush, Putin to meet in Slovakia in Feb. - (Perhaps Putin can talk some sense into Bush regarding the danger the USA is causing with Global Warming.)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Bush will meet in Slovakia in late February with Russian President Vladimir Putin as part of an expanding effort by the White House to improve relations with European nations.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2004-12-20-bush-putin_x.htm

New group claims Sudan oil attack
Tuesday 21 December 2004
A previously unknown rebel group has claimed responsibility for an attack on an oil field in the Darfur region of western Sudan and said it was the group's first military operation.

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/0E977594-0BFB-4764-8F24-EECBA3647FCD.htm


Crude oil prices dip as market monitors U.S. weather cold snap

http://www.canada.com/businesscentre/story.html?id=ed544a56-90f5-43bf-862d-c100b7432e20

Al-Qaida rallies fighters to strike oil infrastructure
Associated Press
Dec. 20, 2004 12:00 AM
CAIRO - The Saudi branch of al-Qaida called for attacks against oil infrastructure in the Persian Gulf in a Web statement posted Sunday.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1220al-qaida20.html

Boost for Kenya’s dream of oil riches - Are there any other kind of dreams for Kenya besides oil. Is this the reason al Qaeda is interested in disrupting the government there and throughout Africa? To steal the wealth away from the citizens and use it for their network wars.

Willis Oketch
There is renewed interest in oil exploration in Kenya, amid reports that oil could be struck in the Lamu Basin.

http://www.eastandard.net/hm_news/news.php?articleid=8875

The Failed Fuel Price Reduction: the Role of Oil Companies

Posted to the web December 20, 2004
Eguono Odjegba
ON the eve of the last strike threatened by labour, government announced a reduction in pump prices of diesel and petrol by N3, while it slashed that of kerosene by N10. To the masses, government's action earned it the respect of a people's representatives that have been listening to the voices of those that voted them into power. Based on this consideration, the Nigerian Labour Congress with its civil societies allies, backed down from going ahead with a proposed nationwide strike, which opinion poll reported would have recorded unprecedented success.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200412201161.html

Indian Oil Unit Targets Half Sri Lanka's Fuel Market in 4 Years
Dec. 21 (Bloomberg) -- Indian Oil Corp. plans to use money from Sri Lanka's biggest share sale to help capture half the retail fuel market on the South Asian island in four years, said local Managing Director Mahadevan Nageswaran.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000080&sid=aYeyadpXRHok&refer=asia

Bush Fingers Torture Apologist for Attorney General (Updated)

by NewStandard Staff
With John Ashcroft resigning as America’s top cop, the White House is looking to replace him with an Enron-connected lawyer who once conjured a legal excuse for torturing prisoners of war.

Nov 11 - Following the resignation of Attorney General John Ashcroft, President Bush has selected the man who drafted a legal argument for disregarding international law in the so-called "war on terror" as the next head of the Justice Department. Though many consider White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales a less divisive figure than the highly unpopular Ashcroft, civil rights groups have expressed grave concerns over the nomination.

"Making Alberto Gonzales the Attorney General of the United States would be a travesty," said Michael Ratner, president of the Center for Constitutional Rights, in a press statement. "It would mean taking one of the legal architects of an illegal and immoral policy and installing him as the official who is charged with protecting our constitutional rights. The Gonzales memo paved the way to Abu Ghraib."

Ratner was referring to a memo authored by Gonzales at the behest of President Bush and leaked to the press early 2002, in which the White House Counsel wrote that laws prohibiting torture do not apply to "the President’s detention and interrogation of enemy combatants."
A later memo from Gonzales’ office puts forth the opinion that "physical pain amounting to torture must be equivalent in intensity to the pain accompanying serious physical injury, such as organ failure, impairment of bodily function, or even death" and for mental pain to amount to torture, "it must result in significant psychological harm of significant duration, e.g. lasting months or even years."

The American Civil Liberties Union likewise expressed trepidation over the nomination. Though he made clear that as an organization with a "record of uncompromising non-partisanship" the ACLU had no official position on the appointment of Gonzales, Executive Director Anthony Romero called "for a full and thorough Senate confirmation process that scrutinizes Mr. Gonzales' positions on key civil liberties and human rights issues."
Romero said that "particular attention should be devoted to exploring Mr. Gonzales' proposed policies on the constitutionality of the Patriot Act, the Guantánamo Bay detentions, the designation of United States citizens as enemy combatants and reproductive rights" and that he should be queried on the 2002 memo. "His confirmation hearings should also examine in detail Mr. Gonzales’ approval of the now-disavowed Justice Department memoranda that condoned the torture and incommunicado and indefinite detention of detainees captured during the Afghanistan conflict," added Romero.

Gonzales also faces criticism from activists opposed to capital punishment. A 2003 Atlantic Monthly article reported that when Gonzales was Bush’s legal counsel in Texas, he routinely failed to provide the governor with crucial details surrounding clemency petitions. The article, which relies on documents obtained by journalist Alan Berlow through the Texas Public Information Act, details several cases in which Gonzales drafted brief reports for Bush outlining the legal arguments and case histories of people about to be executed.

"A close examination of the Gonzales memoranda suggests that Governor Bush frequently approved executions based on only the most cursory briefings on the issues in dispute," wrote Berlow. "In fact, in these documents Gonzales repeatedly failed to apprise the governor of crucial issues in the cases at hand: ineffective counsel, conflict of interest, mitigating evidence, even actual evidence of innocence."
Most political analysts say they expect the Senate will approve Gonzales as the next Attorney General, but he is likely to face some tough questioning.

Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) told the Associated Press that Gonzales’ confirmation hearing "may be the only remaining forum in which to examine more fully the steps that were taken to weaken U.S. policy on torture in the period that led to the prison scandals at Abu Ghraib and Afghanistan."

Some also question Gonzales’ ties to Enron, which is under investigation by the same Justice Department Gonzales will head if confirmed. As reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, Gonzales formerly worked for the law firm that represents the energy giant, and he accepted campaign contributions from the company when seeking election to the Texas Supreme Court in 2000.

Gonzales also received $4,000 while serving on the Court from individuals and organizations affiliated with Halliburton, which is currently under FBI scrutiny for allegedly overcharging taxpayers when providing fuel to troops in Iraq. According to Craig McDonald, director of Texans for Public Justice, a nonprofit which tracks the influence of money and corporate power in Texas politics, campaign finance records filed with the Texas Ethics Commission include a $2,000 contribution from the Brown & Root political action committee in 1999. Kellogg Brown & Root is a Halliburton subsidiary. They also show Gonzales received $2,000 from Halliburton’s executive vice president, Lester Coleman, in late 1999 and early 2000.
The Alliance for Justice -- a national association of environmental, civil rights, mental health, women's, children's and consumer advocacy organizations -- also put out a statement on Gonzales’ nomination. "Gonzales provided the Bush administration with the legal architecture to sidestep and ignore the rule of law that, as attorney general, he will be mandated to enforce," said the organization’s president Nan Aron. Aron also criticized Gonzales’ role as White House counsel in "selecting extremist judicial nominees."

"Gonzales has consistently pushed the limits of executive privilege in order to shield the Bush administration from oversight by Congress or scrutiny by the American people," added Aron. "The position of the country's chief law enforcement officer demands an impeccable level of integrity and commitment to the rule of law that Gonzales has not proven to possess."

In spite of all the concerns surrounding Gonzales’ nomination, the nation’s largest Hispanic advocacy organization hailed Bush’s choice. In a statement released by the National Council of La Raza, the group’s executive director, Janet Murguia, said, "We are very encouraged by the Gonzales nomination." Calling the nomination "an historic milestone for the Latino community," Murguia pointed out that, if confirmed, Gonzales will become the first Hispanic to serve as head of one of the four major cabinet posts.
© 2004 The NewStandard. See our reprint policy.

http://newstandardnews.net/content/?action=show_item&itemid=1218

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Dec. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- In 2005, changes will take effect in the requirements for the petroleum industry to report production levels, inventory levels and other data to California under the Petroleum Industry Information Reporting Act (PIIRA).

http://www.mysan.de/international/article16910.html

Mosul Attack Kills U.S. Soldiers, Halliburton Workers (Update2)
Dec. 21 (Bloomberg) -- Insurgents fired explosives into a dining tent at a U.S. Army base in Iraq's northern city of Mosul today, killing more than 20 people, including at least 14 U.S. soldiers and seven civilians doing work for the Pentagon contractor Halliburton Co.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=a1Cbvlw132dM&refer=top_world_news

Ruling leaves retiree benefits intact
Halliburton sought to trim care for 4,000
By TOM FOWLER and JOHN ROPER

Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle
A judge has ruled that Halliburton Co. cannot cancel or make major changes to the health care coverage for 4,000 retirees of a company it merged with in 1998 without making similar changes for other employees.

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/business/2957114

Top Picks In Oil Services, Drilling
12.20.04, 12:45 PM ET
Merrill Lynch said the oil-services industry "is poised for continued growth in what is expected to be the longest-duration upcycle since the 1970s." (THE LONGEST DURATION UPCYCLE SINCE THE 1970s. Isn't that just a little odd considering this is the hottest time on this planet needing reductions in carbon based energy?)

http://www.forbes.com/markets/currencies/2004/12/20/1220automarketscan09.html


Voucher ruling may take awhile
From Herald wire services
TALLAHASSEE - The Florida Supreme Court on Monday refused to expedite the appeal over Florida's original voucher law.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/living/education/10464079.htm

Cheney hunts quail in county; few other details released
Published Tuesday, December 21st, 2004
Vice President Dick Cheney made a trip to the Lowcountry on Monday afternoon for a bit of leisurely quail hunting.

http://www.islandpacket.com/news/briefs/story/4362521p-4131705c.html

No Mandate

Votes for second-term presidents
December 21, 2004
SCOT LEHIGH'S Dec. 15 column refers to dispirited Democrats looking for routes back to relevance ("Dems to Hollywood: The end"). This spin on the election first emerged in victory statements on Nov. 3 by President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, who interpreted the outcome as a historic and broad mandate that earned political capital for the administration. In fact, the historical record proves the opposite.

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/letters/articles/2004/12/21/votes_for_second_term_presidents/

On the morning of the 19th of December, 6 activists from 'Glasgow anti-war action' blockaded Weir Pumps Ltd in Glasgow who have been profiting from the war in Iraq. The company who are a supplier to Halliburton are part of a new campaign of direct action with the aim of causing the company sufficient disruption and economic damage, that they stop supplying components to Halliburton. Further, still, the company make parts for the Trident nuclear submarines based just thirty miles from Glasgow at Faslane. (Some activists involved with Glasgow Anti War Action are from Faslane Peace Camp.)

http://www.infoshop.org/inews/stories.php?story=04/12/20/5005330

Campus Rivalry May Push Lawsuit - The Bushes are always making trouble by continually trying to expand government where it doesn't belong and taking it from where it does belong.
Higher education dispute is possibly linked to UF-FSU tensions.
By JOE FOLLICK
Ledger Tallahassee Bureau
TALLAHASSEE -- Forget constitutional questions about arcane government hierarchy.

http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041222/NEWS/412220338/1134

Halliburton's Sacrifice
New York Sun Staff Editorial
December 22, 2004
News that among those killed in the attack at Mosul, Iraq, yesterday were seven Halliburton workers prompted us to recall some of the political criticism leveled at the company during the presidential campaign. "Halliburton got billions in no bid contracts in Iraq. Dick Cheney got $2 million. What did we get? A $200 billion bill for Iraq. Lost jobs. Rising health care costs.

http://www.nysun.com/article/6670

DCF official quits, citing rushed bids
By Diane Hirth
DEMOCRAT CAPITOL BUREAU
DCF contract chief resigns, citing 'haste'
The Florida Department of Children and Families official responsible for contracts for client services has resigned, with warnings that DCF rushes too fast to bid out its services and inadequately monitors its private providers.

http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/tallahassee/news/10471929.htmM

Indystar

Lilly seeks tax breaks on cascade of projects
Request that would shave $48 million off drug maker's bills goes to a vote Wednesday.

By Jeff Swiatek
jeff.swiatek@indystar.com

Continuing a spending spurt in its hometown, Eli Lilly and Co. is seeking property tax breaks on more than $700 million in new or renovated manufacturing plants, offices and labs.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050516/NEWS01/505160354/1006

Prison debts force hike in property tax
Marion County owes state $57 million; bills for homeowners could rise as soon as next year.
By Kevin Corcoran
kevin.corcoran@indystar.com

Marion County property owners will pay tens of millions more in taxes as the state pressures counties to cover $85.8 million in juvenile prison costs.
Any increase could begin as early as next year, but officials say they still are trying to determine the added cost to the average county homeowner.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050516/NEWS01/505160359/1006

Striving for character, not characters
Schools see the need and reap the benefits of teaching students positive behavioral traits

Clear conscience: Indian Creek Elementary third-grader Lucas Pelletier, who turned himself in for cheating in a math competition, congratulates Julie Martin on her win during practice for a contest. -- Adriane Jaeckle / The Star

By Andy Gammill and Robert King
andy.gammill@indystar.com

Lucas Pelletier's sleight of hand ate at his conscience for a year.
Every week, the 9-year-old Lawrence Township student heard his teachers talk about honesty, integrity and fair play. All he could think about was how he cheated to win a domino game in his school's Math Pentathlon.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050516/NEWS01/505160406/1006

Dropout factories
IPS high schools are among nation's worst in producing graduates.

One on one: At Manual High School, freshman Andrew Dyke gets homework help from media center director Lucille Koors, a former math and chemistry teacher. On average just 125 of the 450 freshmen who enter Manual in a typical year progress to their senior year on time. -- Adriane Jaeckle / The Star

Indianapolis Public Schools operates some of the worst dropout factories in the nation. Hundreds of students each year quit school, most landing in dead-end jobs or prisons. In some families, dropping out has become a way of life with neither parents nor children completing high school.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050516/OPINION/505160318/1002

38 bodies found dumped in Iraq
Police say men were executed in violence that has killed 450 in just over 2 weeks.

Dozens hurt: Ali Abbas (center) was one of 38 people injured Sunday in a suicide bomb attack on government buildings in Baqouba, Iraq. -- Mohammed Adnan / Associated Press

By Alexandra Zavis
Associated Press

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The bodies of 38 men shot execution-style were found dumped around an abandoned chicken farm, a trash-strewn lot and an insurgent stronghold west of the capital, police said Sunday. The grisly finds were the latest in an endless stream of violence, much of it designed to destabilize Iraq's new government and hasten a U.S. retreat.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050516/NEWS06/505160430/1012

concluding...

Dozens hurt: Ali Abbas (center) was one of 38 people injured Sunday in a suicide bomb attack on government buildings in Baqouba, Iraq. -- Mohammed Adnan / Associated Press
 

...isms - A Point of View

This is interesting from the standpoint of the way Terrorists are seen to be defeated. The economic solution is the only avenue that has proven to be effective. Iraq is a prime example of how military engagement proliferaties terrorists to their purpose.

There two societies in Iraq.

Those that beieve in the new government and see deaths in government as necessary to achieve an end.

The others are those that believe otherwise and to what end is uncertain which continues to leave those that would like to understand the resistance 'cold' to bring their views forward to resolve. They are willing to sacrifice their lives as well to achieve and end. It is safe to say military actions against terrorists don't work. Stable nations with good economies are the answer to eliminating terrorists.

Since Iraq, military confrontation or the threat to confront militarily has lead to nuclear proliferation minimally in North Korea.

World Peace is not a game of chance.

Symposium: The Future of Terror
By Jamie Glazov
IHC Abstract
The international terrorism landscape has changed dramatically during the past three years. To discuss the future of terror, FrontPage Symposium joined with this distinguished panel: Evan Kohlmann, Simon Reeve, Dr. Rohan Gunaratna and Dan Darling.

Tackling international terrorism requires a number of different responses: military, political, social, diplomatic, economic and cultural. In our increasingly globalized world, there are U.S. and Western targets everywhere. Intelligence will see more attacks on these ‘frontier outposts’ by small cells of disaffected, angry young men, and militant cells which are emerging in many countries. We are dealing with nihilists and despots who worship a death-cult. They hate modern liberalism and democracy and their ideology is the cousin of fascism and communism.
Al-Qaeda has transformed from a group into a movement; second, the epicenter of international terrorism has shifted from Afghanistan to Iraq; third, terrorist target selection include the allies and friends of the United States. Under the watchful encouragement of “third generation” terrorist commanders like Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, al-Qaida is developing into a loose collective of disparate Islamic militant groups and sleeper cell networks. Given the rise of ruthless extremists it becomes inherent that future terrorist attacks will involve weapons of mass destruction, such as chemical, biological, radiological or even nuclear agents. It is also clear these same conspirators are willing to carry out their deadly missions even if they directly result in the deaths of hundreds of Muslims.


The European powers have shamelessly washed their hands of a Middle East crisis they created. They should be doing far more in partnership with the U.S. Although the terrorist infrastructure has been disrupted in Europe to date, European nations did some outrageous deals with terrorist groups in the 1970s to discourage attacks on their soil. Some of the groups were defeated because they were simply ridiculous and run by murderous brats who loathed their parents’ generation. They had no apocalyptic aims like al-Qaeda, did not pose the same level of threat and members could be bought-off.

America’s working partnership with Saudi Arabia raises the question, “How can the U.S. claim ‘Our society’s freedoms and values are superior’, when they then state one of America’s principal global allies is despotic and evil?” These double-standards confuse America’s friends and encourage America’s enemies to hate even harder. In terms of U.S. allies: powers have temporary ‘bad’ allies sometimes to defeat bigger and more dangerous enemies. The U.S. claims Muslims who are against extremism and terrorism are their allies.

Military force will perhaps always be a necessary element in a viable 21st century counterterrorism strategy. In this context, the American liberation of Iraq was crucial, despite the price for freedom, which is never free. The victory over communism and fascism did not come with any discounts either. President George W. Bush is applying the Cold War’s historical lesson to the circumstances of the terror war. It is a lethal strategy against the Islamist enemy since terrorism can only breed in totalitarian environments. It will aid in planting freedom in the Arab Middle East where the root of Islamist terror resides. This tactic may or may not rob terrorism of the oxygen it needs to breathe.

How can we defeat something that has become a state of mind or a terrorist ideology? This extensive and lengthy report addresses the new deadly strain of terrorism that is on the horizon.

The IHC recommends you read the article in full.

http://www.infoisrael.net/cgi-local/text.pl?source=4/b/i/090520051

Try to talk to Evangleicals, including Bolton, Cheney and Bush is like having everything said go in one ear and out the other. No! Not Udder. OTHER !! Don't go around being utterly ridiculous 

Kha-nyou, is the name local Laosian call this new species of rodent discovered while being used as a food product. Thre are several ways of approaching this issue to discover what this is and how it EVOLVED, but, the best way is genetic testing looking for it's HOX Complex or HOX sequence linking it to other 'Family' members. OR. You can just look to the imagination and congratualte "Intelligent" for thinking up anoher fine food delicacy in reward for good behavior of Laosian. You go, there, "Intelligent." 

God is great, God is good, let us thank him for our food. Amen.

In case you don't recognize it that is a CHILD'S dinner time prayer.

intelligent design - a theology for a theocracy. There is no proof of 'intelligent design.' One has to 'believe' and 'have faith' to recognize this explanation to everything. It is simplistic. It proves nothing EXCEPT people who want to control every aspect of life can 'think up' an answer.

"When I was a child, I thought as a child, but then I became a man I put away childish things..."

The Evangelicals at CNN are having an effect on Lou Dobbs.

I don't know how a man from Space.com could take up the frightful fight promoting 'Intelligent Design' but he has. I guess Ms. Bigot von Zwieten has told Lou, "My way or the highway."

At any rate I thought it appropriate for him to start his discussion on the latest animal form that showed up Hockus Pockus as a food source from Intelligent Design.

Ready?

Here it is.

New species of rodent found in Laos

http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/science/05/12/new.sp [...]

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- Is it a squirrel, a rat, a guinea pig? Maybe a chinchilla?
The long-whiskered rodent with stubby legs and a tail covered with dense hair resembles them all but has turned out be a previously unknown species that actually represents an entire new family of wildlife, the Wildlife Conservation Society said.

..............

Hey, no word of a lie. Good old Intelligent Design himself 'thunk' it up and there you have it a new Laosian delicacy.

Who would have guessed???

You go, Lou. Evangelical Lou Dobbs. I wonder if 'Intelligent' will mend the "Broken Borders" and give the Middle Class hope for a country they can live in.

No, way did I think I was Upper-Upper Middle Class.

That's like unreal.

SCIENCE requires proof. Intelligent Design has no proof but only criticism and fear tactics. Intelligent Design is designed for a set of politicians who reward 'faith based inititatives' financially. Intelligent Design is a theology and nothing more.

March 15, 2005. Untouched photo. Sky near Chicago, Illinois. Cloud is at the top of the picture. 

May 15, 2005. Aurora like features. Yorkville, Illinois. 

March 15, 2005. Yorkville, Illinois. Aurora like features of the clouds. 

May 15, 2005. Enhanced to pull out the stronger darkness of the clouds, but the color is true. Yorkville, Illinois.  

May 15, 2005. Aurora like features in the clouds near Chicago, Illinois. 

May 16. 2005. New Zealand. This is reported as aurora like color. That's correct except it's more intense. The noted clouds on the right of the picture are 'heat transfer system' clouds. I have stated these systems are highly ionic and powerful systems. The color that has shown up in recent hours indicates I am correct. 

Morning Papers -- concluding

The Cheney Observer

Halliburton: House Summons NNPC, Chevron

This Day (Lagos)
April 28, 2005
Posted to the web April 28, 2005
Mike Oduniyi
Lagos
The House of Represent-atives has summoned the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), US oil firm ChevronTexaco and their partners involved in the award of contracts to embattled oil services company, Halliburton.
THISDAY checks revealed that Speaker Aminu Bello Masari issued the directive on Monday to summon the oil companies following a protest from House Committee on Public Petitions over the recent award of $1.7 billion contract to a consortium of foreign companies that included Halliburton subsidiary, KBR.
The House had late last year, passed a motion recommending the ban of Halliburton and its unit, KBR, until the conclusion of an investigation into alleged payment of $180 million bribe by KBR to some Nigerian government officials to win LNG contracts.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200504280116.html

Contracts for Halliburton Again?
This Day (Lagos)
EDITORIAL
May 4, 2005
Posted to the web May 4, 2005
Lagos
The ambivalence in certain actions of the Obasanjo Administration may undermine the current campaign against corruption. In one breadth, government officials talk of a new resolve to root out corruption, and in another, they take actions that only leave a huge question on their sincerity.
In our calculation, there is no greater proof of such ambiguity than the recent decision by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and its joint venture partner, ChevronTexaco, to award a $1.7 billion contract to KBR, a subsidiary of Halliburton of the United States. The contract is for the engineering, procurement and construction of gas-to-liquid (GTL) plant in Escravos.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200505040647.html

Again, Halliburton
EDITORIAL
May 5, 2005
Posted to the web May 5, 2005
Lagos
Halliburton, the Houston, Texas, United States of America (USA) based oil firm, has again, through its subsidiary, Kellogg, Brown and Root (KBR) been awarded another mouth watering contract by the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The new contract, which disclosure was made to a foreign news agency, Bloomberg News by spokeswoman of the group, Jennifer W. Dellinger, is worth $1.7 billion. It is for the construction of a gas-to-liquid plant in the country. The project has a completion date of 2008.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200505050106.html

Intrusion Inc. Retains Halliburton Investor Relations as Counsel; Company to Begin Enhanced Shareholder Communications and Outreach Program
RICHARDSON, Texas, April 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Intrusion Inc.(Nasdaq: INTZ), ("Intrusion") today announced it has retained HalliburtonInvestor Relations ("HIR") to assist the company in its efforts to communicatewith the investment community.Ward Paxton, Chief Executive Officer of Intrusion, commented, "We arepleased to enter into this partnership with Halliburton Investor Relations.The firm has a proven track record of implementing successful investorrelations programs for publicly traded companies, and we believe they willhelp us to broaden our visibility and communicate effectively with theinvestment community."
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/04-28-2005/0003491673&EDATE=

Halliburton Makes a Killing on Iraq War
Cheney's Former Company Profits from Supporting Troops
by Pratap Chatterjee, Special to CorpWatch
March 20th, 2003
As the first bombs rain down on Baghdad, CorpWatch has learned that thousands of employees of Halliburton, Vice President Dick Cheney's former company, are working alongside US troops in Kuwait and Turkey under a package deal worth close to a billion dollars. According to US Army sources, they are building tent cities and providing logistical support for the war in Iraq in addition to other hot spots in the "war on terrorism."
While recent news coverage has speculated on the post-war reconstruction gravy train that corporations like Halliburton stand to gain from, this latest information indicates that Halliburton is already profiting from war time contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=6008

IRAQ: Making a killing: the big business of war
Doug Lorimer
While nearly 100,000 Iraqis and 1600 US troops have died as a result of the Iraq war and tens of thousands have been severely wounded, the war has proven to be extremely lucrative for the Houston-based oil services company Halliburton and the San Francisco-based construction company Bechtel. These are the two largest private contractors to the US occupation forces in Iraq.
Iraq war and “reconstruction” contracts helped Halliburton to turn a profit in the first quarter of this year, after the company suffered a loss of US$65 million in the first quarter of last year after paying out $4.2 billion in asbestos lawsuit settlements.

http://www.greenleft.org.au/back/2005/625/625p20.htm

Shell Awards Halliburton Contract for Integrated Drilling Services in Gulf of Mexico
HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 2, 2005--Halliburton's (NYSE:HAL) Energy Services Group has been awarded a two-year contract, with the option for an additional year, by Shell Exploration & Production Company to provide 40 percent of Shell's integrated drilling services for their Gulf of Mexico activities. The value of the contract is estimated at $24 million for the fixed two-year duration and includes the provision of directional drilling, measurement-while-drilling (MWD), and logging-while-drilling (LWD).
"Halliburton is very pleased to have been awarded this significant contract, which expands our important relationship with Shell," said Tim Probert, senior vice president, Halliburton's Drilling and Formation Division. "We have invested people, time, and money to stay at the forefront of technology development and ensure a sustainable future, aimed at meeting the current and future needs of our customers."

http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20050502006166&newsLang=en

After Year Of Freedom, Hamill Reflects On Life Changes
POSTED: 9:01 am CDT May 2, 2005
JACKSON, Miss. -- Thomas Hamill still drives the same 1995 white Dodge pickup truck, despite its lack of air conditioning.
Hamill said he will keep it until the wheels fall off.
Life has changed for the former truck driver in the year since his capture during a bloody April 9, 2004, ambush near Baghdad International Airport. The farmer-turned-truck driver has co-authored a book of his experiences and is on the speaking circuit.
Hamill, 44, of Macon, was employed by KBR, a subsidiary of Houston-based Halliburton, when the ambush occurred. Five others in the convoy died. Hamill was shot in the arm before his capture.
Monday marks the year anniversary of Hamill's escape after 24 days in captivity.
Hamill said he hopes to return to his life as a dairy farmer in the coming months. He has purchased a new tractor and a used hay baler to go along with his decades-old farm equipment. He hopes to buy cattle by the end of the year.
Hamill and co-author Paul Brown are currently touring the country in support of their book "Escape In Iraq: The Thomas Hamill Story."

http://www.thejacksonchannel.com/news/4438222/detail.html

Halliburton Successfully Installs New Sand Control System for Saudi Aramco
HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 4, 2005--Halliburton's (NYSE:HAL) Production Optimization Division has successfully installed the first PoroFlex(R) expandable completion system on the Arabian Peninsula for Saudi Aramco. The sand control technique of expanding screen in an open hole provides a solution for slim-hole side track re-completions that maximize the reservoir exposure while maintaining a sufficiently large internal diameter to allow the desired production rates. In addition, maintaining full bore access facilitates remedial operation during the life of the well.

http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20050504005496&newsLang=en

Halliburton and NSI Technologies sign software development and license agreement
by: OilOnline
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
Halliburton's Fluid Systems Division and NSI Technologies have signed an exclusive agreement to adapt NSI's fully 3D hydraulic fracture model, E STIM PLAN, for use in cuttings and drilling waste injection modeling.
"We are excited about working with Halliburton, especially since the world's largest pressure pumping company has chosen to participate in this growing field of cuttings and drilling waste injection," said Mike Smith, president of NSI Technologies Inc. "NSI's expertise in hydraulic fracture modeling and Halliburton's global capabilities and expertise will allow Halliburton to offer one of the most complete cuttings injection services in the industry."

http://www.oilonline.com/news/headlines/business/20050504.Hallibur.17878.asp

Shots disrupted officers' 3rd visit to home
By LEON ALLIGOOD
Staff Writer
Trousdale sheriff: Officers did everything they could to avoid a shootout
HARTSVILLE, Tenn. — Three times within 24 hours, from Wednesday night until Thursday afternoon, Trousdale County deputies traveled down the twisting rural road to the small farmhouse with a tin roof and vinyl siding.
Three times, Jerry Halliburton wouldn't come out when asked. A man with a history of mental illness, Halliburton on Thursday morning had called the Secret Service in Nashville and made a threat against the White House.

http://www.tennessean.com/local/archives/05/03/69230546.shtml?Element_ID=69230546

Halliburton-owned firm gets bonuses
The Washington Post
WASHINGTON — The Army said Tuesday that it had awarded an additional $72 million in bonuses to Halliburton Co. subsidiary Kellogg Brown & Root for logistics support of the Iraq war.
The Army said it graded the company's performance “very good” or “excellent.”
Halliburton's work in Iraq has been controversial because an early contract to rebuild oil fields was awarded without competition and because auditors had challenged its billings on some work. Vice President Dick Cheney was Halliburton's chief executive from 1995 to 2000.

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/nation/11615344.htm

US Terrorism: Halliburton in Bed with Iran
by HalliburtonWatch.Org

In July 2004, Halliburton faced a criminal inquiry into its business ties with Iran.
Halliburton reported that it received a subpoena from a grand jury investigating its business ties with Iran, a nation President Bush says sponsors terrorism.
The U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has been investigating Halliburton since 2001 to determine whether it violated the ban on U.S. companies doing business with Iran.

http://www.conspiracyplanet.com/channel.cfm?channelid=118&contentid=2175

HYDRAULIC FRACTURING DEREGULATION: HALLIBURTON PAYOFF?
The yield of every natural gas and oil well eventually declines. Once that happens, more significant measures are needed to keep the well producing. One of the more popular — and increasingly controversial— techniques is hydraulic fracturing, commonly called fracing (pronounced "fracking"). This is most commonly used to extend the life of coalbed methane wells.
Fracing involves pumping highly pressurized fluids deep underground. This cracks geologic formations and forces oil and natural gas to rise so they can be more easily extracted — thus extending the useful life of oil and gas wells. The problem is that fracing could pollute aquifers, permanently alter the patterns and integrity of local hydrogeology, and even destroy nearby private wells. The most common fluid used is made up of water and sand — but sometimes it contains methanol, oil, MTBE, diesel fuel, or other toxicants.

http://notes.sej.org/sej/tipsheet.nsf/0/c159f09b0fdbc5e386256ffe004f84b0?OpenDocument

Overwhelming Support for Lawsuit Against Cheney
by JUDICIAL WATCH
(Washington, DC) Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption and abuse, said today that the lawsuit it brought on behalf of Halliburton shareholders against Vice President Dick Cheney, the other involved directors of Halliburton, as well as Halliburton and the Arthur Andersen accounting firm, for alleged fraudulent accounting practices, enjoys overwhelming public support.
A CNN poll, featured on the Internet web site of Lou Dobbs, the anchor and managing editor of "Lou Dobb's Moneyline" ­ the prestigious and authoritative financial and business news program ­ revealed that 95% of the respondents answered "Yes" to the question, "Should Vice President Dick Cheney answer questions about accounting at Halliburton?"
A similar poll on the Judicial Watch web site (www.JudicialWatch.org) shows 83% of respondents answering "Yes" to the question, "Should Vice president Cheney be required to answer accounting questions about Halliburton?"
Interestingly, both the "Moneyline" and Judicial Watch web sites are likely frequented by large numbers of economic and social conservatives.

http://www.conspiracyplanet.com/channel.cfm?channelid=118&contentid=518

Michael Moore Today

http://www.michaelmoore.com/

Michael Isikoff is at it again...

Newsweek Says Koran Desecration Report is Wrong

Newsweek says Koran desecration report is wrong
By David Morgan / Reuters
WASHINGTON - Newsweek magazine said on Sunday it erred in a May 9 report that U.S. interrogators desecrated the Koran at Guantanamo Bay, and apologized to the victims of deadly Muslim protests sparked by the article.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=2652

How Many Mistakes Can Newsweek's Michael Isikoff Make?

Will Isikoff Finally Knock-It-Off?
Never mind that the New York Times has already asserted that all the facts in “Fahrenheit 9/11” check-out (see Philip Shenon’s “ Will Michael Moore’s Facts Check Out?”), Newsweek’s chief investigative reporter Michael Isikoff has made it his mission to discredit the film. After issuing a sharp response to Isikoff’s first swipe at the film (“Under the Hot Lights,” Newsweek, June 28th), Craig Unger, author of “House of Bush, House of Saud,” is back to expose Isikoff’s latest distortions. Here is Unger's point-by-point clarification (The following is also available on his website www.houseofbush.com):

http://www.michaelmoore.com/warroom/index.php?id=3

The Newsweek-Fahrenheit Wars, Part 3
July 3, 2004
How Many Mistakes Can Newsweek's Michael Isikoff Make?
by Craig Unger
How many mistakes can Michael Isikoff make? In his zealous campaign to discredit Fahrenheit 9/11, Newsweek's star investigative reporter has already made at least seven errors, distortions and selective omissions of crucial information.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/warroom/index.php?id=3

Islamic group declares Jihad over Koran incident

Islamic group declares Jihad against US, Afghan forces over Koran incident
KABUL (AFP) - An Islamic group reportedly linked to Afghanistan's ousted Taliban regime declared Jihad, or holy war, against US-led troops and the Afghan government over the alleged desecration of the Koran by US interrogators.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=2653

Police open fire on crowd in excess of 460 rounds of ammunition (FBI estimate) in less than a minute

Jackson State University Killings
Wikipedia
The Jackson State killings occurred on May 14-15, 1970, at Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi. A group of student protesters were confronted by the police and National Guardsmen. The police opened fire killing two students and injuring twelve.
The causes of the riots are believed to be the Vietnam War, the May 4 Kent State shootings, and racial tensions. A mob of around a hundred black students had gathered on (John R.) Lynch Street following rumours of the murder of Charles Evers. By around 2130 hours the students had started fires and overturned vehicles, including a large truck. Firefighters dispatched to the scene quickly requested police support.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=2648

The May 1970 Tragedy at Jackson State University
"Lest We Forget..."
In the Spring of 1970, campus communities across this country were characterized by a chorus of protests and demonstrations. The issues were the escalation of the war in Vietnam and the U.S. invasion of Cambodia; the ecology; racism and repression; and the inclusion of the experiences of women and minorities in the educational system. No institution of higher education was leftuntouched by confrontations and continuous calls for change.

http://ccaix.jsums.edu/%7Ewww/gg02a.htm

Democrats Move to Slow Action on Bolton
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Senate consideration of John R. Bolton to be ambassador to the United Nations is unlikely before the end of May because of Democratic objections to an earlier vote, Majority Leader Bill Frist's spokesman says.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=2646

The Boston Globe

The art of the interview, US style
By Diane E. Lewis, Globe Staff, 5/15/05
Brandeis University professor Andrew Molinsky will never forget the conversations he had with newly settled Russian refugees who wanted to find work with US employers.
Molinsky, a volunteer at the nonprofit Jewish Vocational Service in Boston, taught refugees about the fine art of the American interview. He told them to make direct eye contact, deliver a vigorous hand shake, make small talk and be honest - but not too honest.

http://bostonworks.boston.com/globe/articles/051505_interview.html

Malfunctioning sprinklers drench tunnel
Police close roads for 45 minutes
By Maria Cramer, Globe Staff May 16, 2005
For about 45 minutes yesterday, Ryan Maines felt like the star of an action movie, but the experience was anything but glamorous.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/05/16/malfunctioning_sprinklers_drench_tunnel/

Falling water
May 16, 2005
MOST HOMEOWNERS in Massachusetts view ground water as an occasional nuisance that seeps into their basements, soaks their box of stored holiday decorations, or rusts their tools. But for a small minority of owners, a certain level of ground water is crucial to the stability of their buildings. When ground water levels fall in Boston's Back Bay, South End, and other neighborhoods, the tops of the wooden piles supporting house foundations are exposed to air, speeding the growth of fungi and bacteria that weaken the wood.

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2005/05/16/falling_water/

Neb. university delays CDC probe into tularemia infections at BU lab
Scientist cites analysis concerns
By Stephen Smith, Globe Staff May 16, 2005
A federal investigation into how a supposedly harmless batch of tularemia bacteria at Boston University became contaminated with a lethal strain has been delayed by the reluctance of another university to provide samples needed in the probe.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2005/05/16/neb_university_delays_cdc_probe_into_tularemia_infections_at_bu_lab/

Passage of marriage amendment in doubt
By Raphael Lewis, Globe Staff May 16, 2005
Last of two parts
One year after same-sex marriage became legal in Massachusetts, the fate of a proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage and create civil unions is in serious doubt because several lawmakers who voted for the measure are openly rethinking their support.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2005/05/16/passage_of_marriage_amendment_in_doubt/

An unpopular stance alienates a gay male
May 16, 2005
Brian Brandt, 33, remembers where he was a year ago, when the first same-sex marriage licenses were issued in Massachusetts. ''I was at home," he said. ''I think I had the warshades down and I was listening to talk radio, and I was mourning the loss of an important part of our country's foundation."

http://www.boston.com/news/specials/gay_marriage/articles/2005/05/16/an_unpopular_stance_alienates_a_gay_male/

A ceremonial event evolves into wedding
May 16, 2005
For Judi Burgess, a single word changed everything.

She and her partner, Rebecca Rehm, had been planning a commitment ceremony for months before the Supreme Judicial Court decision legalizing gay marriage.

http://www.boston.com/news/specials/gay_marriage/articles/2005/05/16/a_ceremonial_event_evolves_into_wedding/

Expansive coverage fuels his indifference
May 16, 2005
John Horne has had enough of this whole gay marriage thing.

''It's kind of like 'Desperate Housewives,' " he said. ''I'm not interested in it, so I really don't care."

http://www.boston.com/news/specials/gay_marriage/articles/2005/05/16/expansive_coverage_fuels_his_indifference/

For new father, issue begins to resonate
May 16, 2005
Before the first gay marriages, Tom Balish said, he was like a lot of people who opposed same-sex marriage: ''Asleep at the switch."
ADVERTISEMENT
But seeing images of women marrying women and men marrying men -- first in San Francisco, then in Massachusetts -- transformed the issue for him. Suddenly, it was no longer an abstract concept.

http://www.boston.com/news/specials/gay_marriage/articles/2005/05/16/for_new_father_issue_begins_to_resonate/

Exiting a closet, entering a newfound life of happiness
May 16, 2005
It was an outdoor wedding, Memorial Day weekend. One bride wore a flowing gown in pale pink. The other -- Erika Scibelli's mother -- wore white linen pants, a long linen duster, and a smile like her daughter had never seen.

http://www.boston.com/news/specials/gay_marriage/articles/2005/05/16/exiting_a_closet_entering_a_newfound_life_of_happiness/

Gays' supporters denied Eucharist
Over 100 wore rainbow sashes at Minn. service
By Joshua Freed, Associated Press May 16, 2005
ST. PAUL -- A Roman Catholic priest denied Communion to more than 100 people yesterday, saying they could not receive the sacrament because they wore rainbow-colored sashes to church to show support for gay Catholics.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/05/16/gays_supporters_denied_eucharist/

Governors target employee benefits
Cite fairness, cost in seeking change
By Charles Stein, Globe Staff May 16, 2005
PROVIDENCE -- A number of governors around the nation are taking aim at the benefits paid to public employees -- which, in many cases, are far richer than those offered to workers in private industry.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/05/16/states_target_benefits_for/

Saudis lobby to limit liability on additive
Gas agent found in N.E. water
By Susan Milligan, Globe Staff May 16, 2005
WASHINGTON -- A company largely owned by the Saudi government has spent more than $1.5 million since 1998 lobbying Congress to shield the chemical industry from liability for damages caused by MTBE, a potentially cancer-causing gasoline additive that has seeped into water supplies across New England, according to federal documents.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/05/16/saudis_lobby_to_limit_liability_on_additive/

11 killed as tension persists over Uzbek uprising
More than 500 said to flee to Kyrgyzstan
By Bagila Bukharbayeva, Associated Press May 16, 2005
FERGANA, Uzbekistan -- Eight Uzbek soldiers and three Islamic militants died in a clash near the Kyrgyz border yesterday, and more than 500 Uzbeks fled to safety across the frontier, witnesses said, regarding the spreading violence that further threatened stability in this Central Asia country, a key American ally and host to an important US military outpost.

http://www.boston.com/news/world/articles/2005/05/16/11_killed_as_tension_persists_over_uzbek_uprising/

Russians reportedly rewarded with oil
Ex-Hussein aides are cited in probe into food program
By Ken Guggenheim, Associated Press May 16, 2005
WASHINGTON -- Former top representatives in Saddam Hussein's government have told congressional investigators they provided millions of dollars worth of oil allocations to Russian leaders in hopes of ending UN penalties against Iraq.

http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2005/05/16/russians_reportedly_rewarded_with_oil/

The Australian

Millions sought for deportee
Cath Hart and Simon Kearney
May 16, 2005
ONE of Australia's most eminent lawyers is flying to Manila today to initiate an unprecedented multi-million-dollar compensation claim against the Howard Government for the wrongful deportation of an Australian citizen.
Former Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission president Marcus Einfeld said yesterday he believed compensation to Vivian Young should be at least $1500 a day for false imprisonment.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,15300137%255E601,00.html

Dust bowl was once a brimming lake
Natasha Robinson
May 16, 2005
RETIRED farmer Lindsay Leidh kicks the saltbush in the dried-up lake he calls his backyard and remembers when it held water.
"It was beautiful to see the big shiny lake out there, lovely fishermen and everything. It was their favourite fishing spot years ago," he says.
But it's eight years since Lake Natimuk in central-western Victoria held water.
Once a recreational hub for the nearby towns of the Victorian wheatbelt, now its crackly bed could fit more than 100 Olympic swimming pools.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,15300143%255E601,00.html

Abu Ghraib villain's saga of love and betrayal
Sarah Baxter, New York
May 16, 2005
IF a television movie of the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal is ever made, the grotesque pictures of naked Iraqi detainees stacked in a human pyramid may be merely the backdrop to a saga of obsession, infidelity and betrayal.
Charles Graner, a former corporal who is serving a 10-year sentence for his role as the ringleader of a sadistic group of army reservists, recently married a fellow guard but is not allowed to see his bride because of her complicity in the abuse of inmates at Abu Ghraib.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,15299833%255E601,00.html

Uzbek uprising toll 'near 500'
Reuters, AFP
May 16, 2005
THE families of some of the estimated 500 people killed by Uzbek troops in Andizhan buried their dead yesterday to the sound of continued sniper fire in the eastern town.
Two days after an uprising in the mostly Muslim Central Asian state's Ferghana Valley, wet blood and body parts hastily covered in soil coat the pavements, streets and gutters in the centre of this leafy city of 300,000 people.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,15300001%255E2703,00.html

Zimbabwe frees suspected mercenaries
AFP
May 15, 2005
JOHANNESBURG: A group of 62 suspected mercenaries jailed in Zimbabwe has been freed and arrived back in South Africa, a relative of one of the men and their lawyer said Sunday.
"The guys are here in South Africa and officials are busy processing their papers," said Marge Pain, whose husband Ken was one of 70 men arrested in March last year when their plane stopped at Harare airport to pick up weapons.
Zimbabwean authorities alleged the guns were to be used to unseat President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, leader of oil-rich Equatorial Guinea.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,15300681%255E31477,00.html

100 feared dead in ferry accident
From correspondents in Dhaka
May 16, 2005
BANGLADESH authorities fear at least 100 people have drowned after a ferry capsized in a remote area of the country's south.
Six people were confirmed dead yesterday but it is feared many more bodies were washed away in stormy weather or are trapped in the upturned vessel.
The ferry, carrying villagers to a local weekly market, had a capacity of 80 but probably had at least double that number on board.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,15302877%255E1702,00.html

Storm destruction hits state
By Tim Clarke
May 16, 2005
A FEROCIOUS storm has ripped through the south-west of Western Australia, with severe winds and torrential rain closing roads, damaging buildings, felling trees, bringing down power lines and closing schools.
Although no injuries have been reported, hundreds of State Emergency Service (SES) volunteers have been called out to incidents across Perth and further south, with thousands of residents waking up to severe damage.
The town of Bunbury, 180km south of Perth, appears to have been the

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,15302874%255E1702,00.html

PM challenged on whale slaughter
May 16, 2005
FEDERAL Labor today demanded to know how much the Government knew about the slaughter of 400 whales in Australian waters by Japanese whalers.
The numbers raised serious questions as to why the Government failed to stop the activity, Opposition environment spokesman Anthony Albanese said.
Japan is expected to go to a meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in June asking to extend its scientific whaling program to include humpback whales – an endangered species which underpins a whale-watching industry in Australia.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,15302816%255E1702,00.html

Mini-tornado batters WA
May 16, 2005
THERE are reports of a "mini tornado" in Western Australia, with thousands of homes blacked out by heavy rain and fierce winds.
An ABC report said winds in excess of 140km/h had battered the coast today.
Reporters in the broadcaster's Bunbury newsroom fled with only moments to spare when a 38m crane fell and crushed much of their building.
"It's absolute chaos," rural reporter Babs McHugh was quoted as saying.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,15302391%255E1702,00.html

Sydney Morning Herald

Severe storms batter Western Australia
May 16, 2005 - 12:06PM
Perth's main roads are jammed with traffic following a wild storm that left a crane in danger of toppling onto a highway, covered roads in debris, blacked out traffic lights and flooded suburban thoroughfares.
Bureau of Meteorology WA duty forecaster Noel Puzey said a cold front embedded with a line of severe thunderstorms swept across the state's south-western coast about 6am (WST) today.
Wind gusts peaked at 140 kmh at Rottnest Island, just off the coast of Perth, and reached 100 kmh in Perth suburbs, leaving tens of thousands of residents without power.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Severe-storms-batter-Western-Australia/2005/05/16/1116095890547.html

Storm rips through corner of WA
May 16, 2005 - 1:54PM
A ferocious storm has ripped through the south-west of Western Australia, with severe winds and torrential rain closing roads, damaging buildings, felling trees, bringing down power lines and closing schools.
Although no injuries have been reported, hundreds of State Emergency Service (SES) volunteers have been called out to incidents across Perth and further south, with thousands of residents waking up to severe damage.
The town of Bunbury, 180km south of Perth, appears to have been the worst affected by the line of severe thunderstorms, which swept across the state's south-western coastline about 6am (WST) on Monday.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Storm-rips-through-corner-of-WA/2005/05/16/1116095894463.html

600 abducted students rescued in Nepal
May 16, 2005 - 6:09AM
Soldiers rescued about 600 students after they were abducted by communist rebels in western Nepal, army officials said.
The students were rescued during an operation in the mountainous Niskot village, said a statement issued by the Royal Nepalese Army headquarters in the capital, Katmandu.
No other details were immediately available.
Communist rebels had abducted the students from their classrooms in recent days in a series of bold kidnappings in the neighbouring Tahanu and Palpa districts, about 300 km west of Katmandu.
The rebels - who claim to be inspired by Chinese revolutionary Mao Zedong - have fought since 1996 to overthrow Nepal's constitutional monarchy and replace it with a communist state.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/World/600-abducted-students-rescued-in-Nepal/2005/05/16/1116095880193.html

The New Zealand Herald

Website to identify sex offenders
16.05.05 1.00pm

Known sex offenders and their addresses are about to be included on a website being set up by a judicial lobby group.
The Sensible Sentencing Trust said the site would be running within two or three weeks. It would "push the boundaries" on naming people, said spokesman Garth McVicar.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10125772

US mayors pledge action against global warming
16.05.05 1.00pm
By Andrew Buncombe

WASHINGTON - Frustrated by the Bush administration's refusal to ratify the Kyoto Treaty, 132 US mayors have pledged to enforce the regulations in their own cities.
In a rejection of the government's position which claimed it would be too damaging to the US economy to enforce tougher environmental restrictions, the group of bipartisan city leaders has vowed to try and meet Kyoto's central target - a reduction in greenhouse gases to less than seven per cent of where they stood in 1990 in under 10 years.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10125765

Ethiopia bans demonstrations after election
16.05.05 1.00pm

ADDIS ABABA - The Ethiopian government imposed a month-long ban on demonstrations after millions staged a huge turnout at elections on Sunday, saying it would take tough action to head off any trouble over the results.
"Security forces have been instructed to take severe actions against those who violate the new regulation," Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said in a televised address, adding he had put himself in charge of all security forces in the capital.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10125750

NZ to fight Japanese whale slaughter
16.05.05

New Zealand is looking at all its options, including a possible legal fight, to thwart Japan's attempt to slaughter endangered humpback whales.
Japan plans to go to the meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in Korea next month asking to double its kill of about 440 minke whales a year for so-called scientific purposes and also add humpback and fin whales to the list.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10125717

America's drug war in Colombia in tatters
The arrest of former Colombian drug cartel boss Miguel Rodriguez Orejuela in March has not been enough to stamp out the illegal trade. Picture / Reuters
15.05.05 5.00pm
By Hugh O'Shaughnessy

Washington's "war on drugs" in Colombia is collapsing in chaos and corruption, and the drug producers are winning, the Independent newspaper reports.
The so-called Plan Colombia, which has cost the US more than US$3 billion ($4.2 billion) in the past five years, is being abandoned, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has announced.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10125611

Son of slain Lebanon PM unveils election list
16.05.05 7.45am

By Lin Noueihed

BEIRUT - Assassinated former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri's son unveiled his ticket for this month's elections on Sunday and promised to heal sectarian splits threatening to unravel the anti-Syrian opposition.
To the dismay of Lebanese who hoped for a fresh start after the Syrians pulled out last month, the opposition movement that pressured them to quit is splintering along the sectarian lines that traditionally rule at the ballot box.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10125721

Nine US troops, 100 rebels killed in Iraq assault
15.05.05

BAGHDAD - Nine American troops have been killed in an offensive against insurgents and militants in Iraq's most rebellious province, the US military said yesterday.
Four of those were killed on Wednesday when their assault amphibian vehicle hit an explosive device, the military said.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10125592

The weather conditions at Scott Base not known today

Scott Base
--
--
Updated Monday 16 May 2:59PM

The weather at Glacier Bay National Park (Crystal Wind Chime) is:

54 °F / 12 °C
Mostly Cloudy

Humidity:
67%

Dew Point:
43 °F / 6 °C

Wind:
Calm

Pressure:
29.56 in / 1001 hPa

Visibility:
-

UV:
0 out of 16

Clouds (AGL):
Mostly Cloudy 7000 ft / 2133 m

end

May 13, 2005. The richest soil in the USA is in Illinois and Indiana. This is a picture of Indiana. High producivity of corn that grows fifteen feet tall. To the right in this picture is a mobile irrigation system that travels across the soil on wheels. The wheels are not easily seen as after three days of high wind it's taking 'Dust Bowl' characteristics. The soil drys with the wind removing it's moisture and carrying it away with the wind. Kindly remember this soil has become productive after generations of tender loving care. It's productivity is due to longevity and care. The depth in feet of it's nature is perhaps three feet but the highest productivity is only 'crop root' depth of 12 to 18 inches. Inches of 'top soil' are important and is currently being carried away with the wind.

May 14, 2005. 00:25 gmt. May 13, 2005. 8:25 PM edt. The pattern is mostly equatorial at this point. It is NEW to the pattern of Global Warming. This is taking on the characteristic of the patterns seen in the Southern Hemisphere on February 4, 2005. The movement is off the equator to the Arctic Circle. The Southern Hemisphere in other satellites is still holding all the same patterns but grossly diminished with the highest heat distribution of Earth in this location following the migrating solar radiation. The vortex patterns remain polar and sustained with noted exceptions in the Northern Hemisphere at middle latitudes. 

May 13, 2005. The Cooney Dam Spillway. This is the first time the spillway has flooded since 1984. 

May 13, 2005. Battle Creek, Michigan. The lightning to the right seems to have struck 'an object' on the ground.  

May 13, 2005. Woodslee, Canada. The best 'reference point' is the fence post in the lower right hand corner. This lightning strike is a magnitude rarely that reaches the ground. It's gigantic. I can only wonder what the ground was like after this hit. 

May 13, 2005. Israel. 

May 13, 2005. Portugal.